The next day Mrs. Huo, the first madam of the Song Family, and the second madam Duanmu Wuse were invited to Shen Mansion, confused. Wei Changying saw Duanmu Wuse when she visited Song Zaishui last time, but she met Mrs. Huo, the first cousin-in-law, for the first time.

Mrs. Huo somewhat resembled Huo Qingling, who she met in the palace last time, and probably they were the sisters of the same branch. Mrs. Huo should be the same age as Song Zaitian in Mrs. Liu's generation. Compared with the new married wives like Wei Changying, Mrs. Huo was elder and graceful with a smile. According to her appearance, she was very kind.

Mrs. Min had brought Pei Meiniang over and welcomed them in with Mrs. Liu and others. Their seats were divided into hosts and guests. After a few words of greeting, Mrs. Huo smiled and asked about the reason for inviting them to come.

So Mrs. Liu briefly explained what happened and said, "Sister Pei, please tell them the story that happened on that day."

So Pei Meiniang told the story in detail. On the birthday of Mrs. Huo's sister Huo Qingling, all the ladies and madams were invited to the mansion, including Pei Meiniang, Mrs. Huo, and Duanmu Wuse. At that banquet, Duanmu Wuse provoked Pei Meiniang under the grape trellis in Family Huo's small garden.

Her words, including the time, location, and scenery, were very detailed, which seemed not to be fabricated. As everyone listened, they strangely gazed at Duanmu Wuse.

Duanmu Wuse's expression changed, and she scolded Pei Meiniang in public, "Nonsense! I'm not very familiar with you, and why would I tell you such things?"

Her words sounded reasonable, and she didn't appear to be guilty at all. However, Mrs. Huo, seated in front of her, looked very uncomfortable and stammered, "It... it happened long ago, and I can't remember it." Before she finished speaking, her face blushed.

Mrs. Min ignored Duanmu Wuse, who had lost her temper, cried and pretended to kneel to Mrs. Huo, "According to my daughter, it hasn’t been too long, maybe two or three months, since it happened before she married. It is related to the reputation of my daughter and the females of Family Pei! Mrs. Huo, you can’t pretend to be confused to protect your sister-in-law! I beg you to show mercy to my daughter! My daughter said your sister-in-law's words made her feel shocked and scared at the time, and it was you who scolded and stopped your sister-in-law!"

Although the Min Family was just an aristocratic family, Mrs. Min was still an elder. So how dare Mrs. Huo to receive her salute in public. She jumped up from the table hurriedly and reached out to support her up, "Madam Min, don't act like that. I can't receive it!"

But the more she acted like that, the more Mrs. Min insisted on kneeling down, crying and weeping, "If you don't prove my daughter innocent, she would be thought of being unfilial to disobey the elders. Having such a daughter, how can I have the effrontery to live?"

Pei Meiniang came up to support her up again and said, "I am responsible for what I have done. Since I'm young and naive, I trusted Duanmu Wuse. I thought that my sister-in-law Mrs. Huo was a kind person. Even if she defended her sister-in-law, she would not turn black and white. My mother doesn’t have to apologize with her death. I will end my life with three-foot-tall white silk so that the first aunt-in-law will be satisfactory!"

Now, Mrs. Liu and her two sisters-in-law couldn’t just sit by, and they had to come out to mediate, "Madam Min, please calm down. The fourth sister-in-law, don’t be impulsive. Let’s talk with Madam Huo peacefully. Madam Huo has always been virtuous and she will definitely not lie."

They said to Mrs. Huo together, "I'm sorry, Madam Huo, I bother you so much with our family affairs! But as you have seen, your words are relevant to our relationship. Frankly speaking, my mother is still lying on the bed sick. As for what is the truth, only your words are the fairest and most credible, please tell us now."

Mrs. Huo felt awkward and said, "I really want to help you, but this matter... I really... may not remember clearly."

Mrs. Min cried again and said, "Madam Huo, do you really want to watch me and my daughter die?"

"Madam Min, please don't say that!" Mrs. Huo flushed and said, "I... I... but... this..." She said incoherently, looking at Duanmu Wuse and Pei Meiniang and her mother with a torturous and embarrassed expression.

Duanmu Wuse sneered, "It is out of nothing. Even if you threatened me with death, you would fail to smear me."

"Madam Min, white is white, and black is black, right?" Mrs. Duanmu echoed her cousin and said in a strange tone, "Even if you are making trouble, the truth is the same. Even if you two don't want to live any longer, there is no need for Sister-in-law Huo to follow your words."

Mrs. Min became silent. Pei Meiniang sneered and said, "Duanmu Yanyu, why are you in a hurry? Sister-in-law Huo said, 'Maybe I don't remember clearly,' and we all know the implicit meaning of her words except you," she said to Mrs. Huo, "I know that you are a kind person. I only blame my ignorance because I was young then. After you stopped Duanmu Wuse, I didn’t understand what you persuaded me. You said that my first aunt regarded my husband as her son, and it was absolutely impossible for her to arrange a bad marriage for my husband. But Duanmu Wuse continued, 'Madam Su has several biological sons, and she may not be able to treat her sons fairly, let alone a nephew.' What's more, I was so timid at the time. Before I married, I was embarrassed to meet with my husband's family. I thought that Sister-in-law you and the Shen Family were not relatives, but Duanmu Wuse’s cousin was the daughter-in-law of the Shen Family. So I thought what she said was very credible."

Seeing everyone in the Shen Family including her cousin Duanmu Yanyu all turned solemn, Duanmu Wuse screamed, "How could you say such words! You..."

"You instigated me, but you don't admit it now! How shameless are you!" Pei Meiniang shouted in a higher voice than hers, "I still remember you didn't recover on the day!" She turned to Mrs. Huo and said sternly, "Sister-in-law Huo, you wore a dark upper shirt embroidered with Ruyi Jade patterns. It was hot, and there was a utensil containing ice placed in the room. Since you didn't recover after the miscarriage, you put on a waistcoat embroidered with magnolia patterns. When you persuaded me not to believe Duanmu Wuse, you also mentioned the magnolia patterns on my clothes, which reminded you of the lineal daughter Shen Shuyan, who was able to compose a four-line poem with seven characters to a line, entitled 'Song of the Magnolia' at the age of three. Her style was beautiful and natural."

"Sister-in-law, you said that even if she was born talented, a three-year-old child like her can't use the metric without the instruction. Having cultivated such a daughter, Duanmu Yanyu is absolutely not an ordinary woman. As for the 'Ode to the Magnolia', you said you only remembered the last two sentences, 'The east wind is blowing the leaves, and Magnolia flowers are blushing like the cheeks of a maiden.' I was curious to ask for the full text, and you said that you would tell me when you know it, but I have never met you since I married. However, according to the servants, I have learned that the former two sentences were, 'Magnolia flowers are blooming splendidly, but where is my dear love', right?"

Mrs. Huo said subconsciously, "No, I checked it out after I went back, and it should be, 'I guess the Magnolia flowers are blooming splendidly, but where is my dear love?'"

Before Mrs. Huo finished speaking, the atmosphere had been so silent in the hall that even the sound of a dropping needle could be heard.

Everyone looked at Duanmu Wuse unbelievably, and Duanmu Wuse herself was stunned.

"Ah!" At this time, Mrs. Huo seemed to realize her mistake. She covered her mouth in a panic and said anxiously, "Second sister-in-law, you may be playing a joke. A joke at the banquet can't be counted seriously!"

That further confirmed her lie. Mrs. Min immediately hugged Pei Meiniang and cried, "My pitiful daughter, why are you so confused that an outsider should deceive you! You haven't married for a month, but you have offended your husband's family. How will you live in the future?"

Before her cry was over, Mrs. Min released her hands, wiped her face with her sleeves, raised her head viciously towards Duanmu Wuse, and said fiercely with her teeth gritted, " Jinxiu Duanmu, what a daughter of a noble family! My daughter has no grudges with you, and our family has never offended you. If so, you can come up and tell us, and we will definitely give you an explanation. But you are so vicious, instigating my young and ignorant daughter to make trouble in her husband’s house. Although we are a small family, justice will always protect those who are reasonable! Duanmu Wuse, if you don't give me an explanation today, I will fight with you here!"

Mrs. Min knew it very well that Pei Meiniang had offended her husband's family. Even if Shen Canghui wanted to protect her as her husband, he couldn't persuade his elders! Count Xiangning Shen Zhou was famous for being filial to his brother, and he would never have a daughter-in-law who disobeyed the aunt!

Now the only way to survive was to blame Duanmu Wuse as the chief culprit. Although the family position of Jinxiu Duanmu was higher than that of Pei Family in You Zhou, the Shen Family in Western Liang had a higher position! Besides, Pei Meiniang had defended the Duanmu Family since she mentioned Duanmu Wuse, and now it didn't matter for her to defend them more.

At the moment, Mrs. Min ignored the etiquette and seemed to prepare for fighting with her to death!

Although Duanmu Wuse was usually domineering, she knew that she couldn't admit it. With a sullen expression, she glared at Mrs. Huo and sneered, "Madam Min, since you have always been in the capital, don't you know that my sister-in-law doesn't like me? She provoked my father-in-law and sister-in-law to deal with me. Not long ago, she also sent some beautiful ladies to my husband! Will she say a good word for me?"

Mrs. Duanmu closed her eyes in despair. She had always known that this cousin was so spoiled at home that she had cultivated an overbearing temperament. After she married, since her husband Song Zaijiang was a rare good-tempered man in gentlefolks, even though she had been childless for several years and kept making trouble, Song Zaijiang didn’t care much. Last time she greatly offended Song Zaishui, the only sister Song Zaijiang loved, so Song Zaijiang lost his temper once. But Duanmu Wuse's mother came to beg him, so Song Zaijiang still tolerated her.

For a long time, Duanmu Wuse had been used to be stubborn and reluctant to admit mistakes or defeats and wouldn't be subdued. Now it was not the time for her to be hostile to Mrs. Huo.

As expected, when Mrs. Huo heard Duanmu Wuse's words, instead of throwing back her insinuation. she raised her sleeves to hide her face and choked with sobs, "Second sister-in-law, I know that I am not virtuous and generous enough, but your words are too mean! We are in the same family. If I can be partial to you, I will. But you implied that I deliberately harmed you, how could I do that?"

Pei Meiniang sneered and said, "Duanmu Wuse, you are really shameless. Everyone has seen that Sister Huo is defending you. Sister-in-law Huo is so honest that she cannot even tell lies. Because of you, my mother and I almost can’t live anymore, but she still held the truth! If I hadn’t used a little trick to fool the honest Sister-in-law Huo, I'm afraid that she would have protected you even though she didn't hope us to die! When her words betrayed herself, Sister-in-law Huo was still trying her best to defend you. If Sister-in-law Huo really wanted to harm you, she would tell the truth when she came up, which could take revenge on you as well as cater to my mother and me. But you don’t appreciate Sister Huo’s protection. My mother and I think that Sister Huo is too partial to her family, but I have to admit that people who have a sister-in-law like you are really misfortunate!"

Now Mrs. Huo wiped her tears again and apologized for Duanmu Wuse, who was in bad mood, as the eldest sister-in-law, "Madam Min, everyone, we didn’t know what was going on when we came, but now I know it’s my sister-in-law's joke that caused Sister Pei to make such a big misunderstanding in your family. You know that our mother-in-law went away early, and our father-in-law has never cared about family affairs. My husband and my brother-in-law are generous people. It's my fault that I didn’t remind the second sister-in-law in time and didn’t persuade Sister Pei as well, which had harmed Sister Pei and made your family so restless that even Madam of Grand Preceptor fell ill."

Duanmu Wuse restored her reason now, frightened and angry. Mrs. Huo meant that it was she who had provoked Pei Meiniang, a young daughter-in-law who married less than a month, to disobey her husband's first aunt and disrespect her sisters-in-law!

In the panic, she couldn't help but rush forward and pull Mrs. Huo, saying angrily, "Don't pretend to be kind. I haven't admitted and you don't need to apologize on behalf of me! Just shut up!"

Actually, no matter how stupid Duanmu Wuse was, she knew that she could not really beat her sister-in-law, so she just wanted to pull Mrs. Huo and stop her from saying. But when she just touched Mrs. Huo, Mrs. Huo fell heavily with a scream!

Everyone was shocked when they saw the situation. They had no time of scolding Duanmu Wuse for trying to beat her first sister-in-law in public, and they stepped forward to support Mrs. Huo up. Pei Meiniang's voice was thunderous in the crowds, and she screamed, "Sister-in-law Huo just had a miscarriage a few days ago! Duanmu Wuse, how dare you!"

In the chaos, Mrs. Huo, who fell on the ground, struggled to lift herself, weeping, but still turned her head to look at Duanmu Wuse, who was shocked outside the crowds. Her eyes were full of sincere compassion, and she choked with sobs and said, "We don't have the mother-in-law to teach us, and 'the first sister-in-law is like the mother.' Although you have never accepted me as your first sister-in-law, I am always responsible when you do something wrong. Whatever punishment you will receive, I should shoulder it with you. Whether you accept me or not, I will always share the burden for you!"

Wei Changying and Mrs. Liu soothed Mrs. Huo not to be sad and to get up first. Then they turned around and asked the servants to call a doctor hurriedly. In the chaos, they exchanged their expressions in the eyes and reached the consensus that Duanmu Wuse was doomed!